Blame it On The Rain
by mr-malarkey
Summary: There are some good days when he takes it easy, able to stay cool and focused for a while (or at least he thinks he can). But there are also some days when you just lose control and break things. Today is not one of Swizzle's good days. ((Onesided Vanilla Swirl. Oneshot.))


**((All characters, places, and things mentioned belong to Disney. No promises that the way Swizzle acts is going to be canon when he does get a confirmed personality further than that paragraph on him.))**

**((Blame it On The Rain is by He is We.))**

**((Viva la Vanilla Swirl!))**

_You,_

"Dumb Rancis, dumb rain, dumb kart!"

Swizzle screams the words in anger as he pushes through the door to his house-well, tree-house. Yeah, he lived in a tree house. Big deal. I mean, it had broken somehow more times than he could count, and he occasionally got chilly, but it was better than living on the streets, or in a volcano or something.

The boy lets out a mix of a huff and a yelp as he trips over something on the floor, almost falling flat on his face before regaining his balance again. He tugs his sopping-wet coat off and tosses it to the side. The night just seemed to be getting worse and worse for Swizzle…

_Got me caught in all this mess_

Swizzle kind of blows around the tree house like a tornado, taking down pictures and yelling at random items that must have had some kind of memories linked with them. After raging on for a few minutes, he stops for a moment and rubs his eyes, wiping away a couple of salty tears with the sweet rainwater.

_(I guess)_

"No. S-stop it." He scolds himself, sniffling and pulling off his hat. "The Swizz does _not_ cry. Not for her, not for anyone, not for anything."

He just…stands there for a moment, staring out the window and careful not to get even more wet from the rain crashing down outside. As much as he'd like to blame it all on her, it wasn't her fault...

_We can blame it on the rain_

"If it hadn't been so…rotten today, maybe things would have gone better…"

Yes, he'd like to think that. If it hadn't been raining so hard, he would have been able to see and wouldn't have crashed, his kart wouldn't have broken down, he wouldn't have been wet or ashamed he forgot to bring an umbrella. Maybe if it had been clear out, with the stars twinkling above him instead of dark clouds, he wouldn't have felt so utterly heartbroken.

_My pain is knowing I can't have you_

A small yawn escapes the boy's mouth. He'd tired himself out completely—from having to push his kart back home, to tripping on the ladder to his tree-house, to storming around inside and yelling his lungs out when it was all his fault. Maybe if he stopped and relaxed, even for just ten minutes, he'd forget all about screwing up, all about that _peanut-butter rat_ swooping in to her rescue (as always) and having the nerve to get mad at him.

_I can't have you_

As much as Swizzle wants to just blame it all on Rancis, and _her_, he was starting to face the music with this whole problem. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he believed that luck was on his side, no matter how much he believed that maybe, _just maybe,_ he'd get a shot, that boy was always there to stop him. He'd never get a chance to be with her, to prove that he really did want to be by her side all the time, that he…

No. If he really loved her, he would have gotten the guts to actually do something about it instead of just flirting from the sidelines when Rancis wasn't around, or cheering her on when he wasn't racing, or sending anonymous gifts every once in a while.

This girl did not belong to him, no matter how much he wanted her to.

_Tell me, does he look at you the way__** I do?**_

If only he had a chance to prove to her that she didn't have to always do what other people wanted her to. Most of the other racers were cheering her on with Rancis, anyway… if only that could change. He'd change it all if he could-so she'd look at _him_ with that mischievous glint in her eyes instead, so she'd give him those little pecks on the cheek just so she could laugh and watch him practically melt, so he'd be the one giving her giant bear hugs when she won and cheering her on from the sidelines while she raced.

If only.

_Try to understand the words you say and the way you move_

Swizzle's shoulders sag, a tired look replacing the angry one on his face as he slumped down into a nearby chair. Who cares if he was wet, anyway? It would dry when he got up…everything goes away eventually.

Except for the sinking feeling in his stomach when he sees the disappointed look on her face after she loses, or the butterflies when she calls his name or the despair that comes over him when she's upset with him. No matter how hard he'd try, it would never go away, and he'd never really let go. None of the other girls ever really screwed him up inside as much as she did, and maybe that was why he hadn't given up on her yet.

_Does he get the same __**big rush**_

Swizzle squeezes his eyes shut and runs a hand through his slowly-drying hair, wishing it would all just leave him alone. If he'd never got these icky _feelings _in the first place, he wouldn't be so upset over getting stuck in the rain, never would have been so angry with Rancis, never would have gotten stuck in this big mess.

But he also wouldn't get that rush of excitement when she hugged him, or the pride for her after coming in second place to her (even when he really wanted to win), or the feeling of comfort whenever he lit a vanilla-scented candle to brighten up a room. Okay, maybe he wasn't ready to let go of those just yet…

_When you go in for a hug and your cheeks brush_

Swizzle falls silent for a while before he hears someone knocking on the door. When people climbed all the way up just to come see him in the tree-house, it was usually something important.

"I'm, uh…I'm comin'! Hold on just a sec!"

He calls quickly, taking a few seconds to fix his hair and tug his hat back on. He was _almost_ dry by now-almost should be enough. The boy scrambled over to the faded-blue door, opening it up for the visitor and almost falling over.

"Woah, uh…sorry t' scare ya' there. Whoops."

The girl squeaks, wincing slightly and stepping back a little. Swizzle blushes in embarrassment, regaining his balance and nervously scratching behind his head.

"That's…that's alright. Don't worry about it, really. But…why are you here?"

"Well, uh, about that…" The girl trails off for a second before pulling a pale green towel from behind her back. "Ya' looked pretty upset back there, havin' to push yer' kart back and all. I know it's not much, but maybe this'll help ya' out a little…?"

A grateful smile flashes across Swizzle's face (even though he didn't need the towel now.) "…Thanks, Vanellope."

_Tell me, am I crazy?_

"Heh. No problem, my ho-bro." The girl squeaks, returning the smile before stuffing her hands in her sweatshirt pockets. "Well, uh…I'm just gonna get goin' now and leave you and yer' towel friend alone. 'Kay?"

"You don't wanna s-uh, I mean…sure." Swizzle blinks, cutting himself off before he could invite her in. His little tree-house was a mess now…he couldn't let just anyone come in and see it. Especially not her. "See ya around, I-I guess…"

The girl tilts her head to the side a bit, watching him for a moment before backing out the door. "See ya later, Swizz." And with that, she was gone. Swizzle quietly closes the door and then leans against it, staring at the towel like she'd just given him a gold bar.

_Or is this more than a crush?_

_Why did she even come here? It's not like she cares…_ Swizzle thinks, squeezing out the remaining water from his hair and looking out the window with a confused expression. Out of all the places to go after what happened…she came to him? It was just so _different_ for him, to be the first person she goes to, even for something so simple like giving him the towel.

Swizzle begins walking around the tree-house again, picking up pictures and knick-knacks and putting them back where they go. He stops and stares at one last picture on the floor; one of himself and the girl, grinning and laughing like they were old friends. He simply holds it for a while, pressing it close to his chest and then putting it back where it went in the middle of all the other pictures of his friends.

Maybe he hadn't screwed up completely, after all.

**((Just to clear things up for some of the reviewers for I Hope He Buys You Flowers. There wasn't a breakup, or anything; to put it simply, my personal headcanon (that sort of goes along with all the others that say Swizzle is a bit older than the other racers?) is that it was kind of programmed as a joke for Swizzle to have a thing for Vanellope. Like so she could pull a move on any of the boy racers nearby that makes little 8-bit hearts and then they crash? Yesthatwouldbecool. And it kinda just…spiraled out of control for Swizzle. Head-over-heels, y'know?))**

**((And of course, she doesn't really think of him in the same way and Vanilla Butter is forced down everyone's throats a lot. So yeah. Lots of problems between Rancis, Vanellope, and Swizzle.))**

**((Good night. /collapses))**


End file.
